Hotel Tour |The Balboa Cottage at Lido House Hotel

If there’s one place in Orange County, California that screams summertime, it’s the brand new Lido House Hotel. Located just steps away from the darling Lido Marina Village in Newport Beach, this Cape Code-style boutique hotel features 130 rooms and five two-bedroom, two-bathroom three-story cottages. Each cottage is unique and features a distinctive motif designed by one of five different Newport Beach-based design firms. Today, we’re exploring the Balboa Cottage, designed to the absolute nines by Rona Graf, founder of Grace Blu Designs.

Come on in!

Rona wanted a retro-playful aesthetic, intersecting California effervescence with East Coast sensibility – and she certainly created that. From the moment you walk through the front doors, you’ll feel your mood immediately lighten.

Rules? What rules? That was Rona’s MO when it came to this project. Just look at that lounge inspired breakfast nook! In the words of Rona, “When it comes to patterns – just got for it!”

This has to be our favorite spot in the place – did you see that wallpapered ceiling and painted custom table? It’s the perfect fit!

One glance at this sunlit kitchen and we can practically smell the sizzling bacon that’s sure to be served up for brunch while casually sipping on bubbly mimosas.

For inspiration, Rona turned to mid-century Newport Beach, blending old-school glamour with quartz and brass brightened by vibrant color and go-for-bold patterns. We love the stark contrast between the White Attica countertops and rich hued cabinetry.

The pattern play continues in the first floor powder room, where guests can wash up at the White Attica topped vanity.

No detail is too small! Rona blended "old school Hollywood glam and surfer-ville" featuring a shot of the Newport Beach Fun Zone in the stairwell, an iconic spot on Balboa Island.

Upstairs, guests will find the master and guest bedroom, where subtle pops of color and texture weave in and out of details everywhere you look.

The guest bedroom is the very definition of playful. With dual queen beds, a wallpapered ceiling and tons of patterned throw pillows, we’d be hard pressed to unmake the bed at the end of the night – it would feel like ruining a work of art!

Who doesn’t love a little black shiplap? Look closely and you’ll even find black grass cloth adorning the ceiling in the master bedroom.

Constant in every room of the cottage is Rona’s confidence and willingness to experiment, exuding from every last nook and cranny.

White Attica makes a striking statement against brass accents and a patterned beauty of a backsplash in the en suite bathroom. By pairing down the vanity to its bare brass bones, the focus remains on the tiles, which we have to say look like they were made especially for this space.

We might not have known it before this tour, but we know it now – we definitely need a bright yellow freestanding tub in our home, STAT. Add it to the ever-growing wish list! If this tub doesn’t bring out your sunniest self, nothing will. And that’s a fact.